Mage: Common Rotes
This page lists some common rotes available for all mages to learn if they have the spheres to do so. Learning these rotes requires an Intelligence + Magic Theory roll with as many successes as there are dots in the highest sphere in the rote. You can roll once per week for any given rote. Want to contribute your own rotes? Send 'em to cyberanima@gmail.com and I'll get 'em on the list! Buffs Better Body (Life●●●) rote points : This rote is modified from the Mage book, to reflect the upper limit of 1/4 xp discount in Dusk. : Attributes affected: Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, Appearance : Maximum bonus: +3 to any one Attribute or Ability : Mages who rely heavily on Life Effects use this power to alter themselves. A mage can take on various forms to her advantage: Claws, gills, increased Physical Attributes or Appearance, body armor and more. The only limits are imagination and what the mage believes that he can do within his paradigm. Successes scored indicate the limits of the change: One success would be good for an extra dot on one Attribute, for instance. Additional successes can maintain the Effect or generate larger changes. If a mage changes a Pattern beyond normal limits — increasing Attributes to legendary levels (six or more), adding totally inhuman features, fortifying to soak against aggravated wounds, etc. — the subject gains permanent Paradox as long as the changes remain. Usually Paradox is a problem only for mages, but other victims can suffer as well, especially when Paradox erupts near them. Such gross changes always cause Pattern bleeding as well. Simply altering a Pattern within its normal range of forms — swapping two Physical Attributes, for instance, or changing eye color — is a much simpler and less danger-prone use of this Effect. : When used in this way, new Physical attributes (and possibly also Talents) can be purchased at 3/4 cost with ST approval so long as they are learned when the rote is active. In addition, with ST approval, this provides a possible way to buy Physical Merits after CG. The xp cost of said merit is 2x the freebie cost, and storytellers reserve the right to deny a merit. For the rote to remain active long enough, a threshold of five successes must be attained. The attribute increases can be applied to another person, but the other benefits (Talents, Physical Merits) can only be applied to the mage herself. Empowerment (Mind●●●) rote points : Attributes affected: Perception. Intelligence, Wits, Charisma, Manipulation : Maximum bonus: +3 to any one Attribute or Ability : A mage who wishes to make alterations to her own psyche may use this rote to do so, either temporarily or permanently, in ways similar to the Better Body rote. She may trade one Mental or Social stat for another or swap around dots between them. She can increase those attributes in the same manner as Better Body as well, with the same limitations with regard to superhuman stats. One success will grant one dot to an attribute. She can apply successes to any of her Mental attributes with this rote (Perception, Intelligence, Wits). She can also perform greater feats, such as granting herself permanently improved memory or calculations, or aptitude with Knowledges. : When used in this way, new Mental and Social attributes (and possibly also Skills and Knowledges) can be purchased at 3/4 cost with ST approval so long as they are learned when the rote is active. In addition, with ST approval, this provides a possible way to buy Social or Mental Merits after CG. The xp cost of said merit is 2x the freebie cost, and storytellers reserve the right to deny a merit. For the rote to remain active long enough, a threshold of five successes must be attained. The attribute increases can be applied to another person, but the other benefits (Skills, Knowledges, Mental/Social Merits) can only be applied to the mage herself. Combat Do-ma-nhieu on You" (Entropy●● Matter●●) rote points :This rote, so named due to an anecdote in the book 'Rogue Warrior,' is designed to give the enemy a Bad Fucking Day. Any weapon the mage casts this rote upon is metamorphosed into the most appropriate material to fight the opponent in question for the duration of one scene. The mage does not need to know what the most appropriate material would be - chance decides the weapon's final makeup. :Only one success is needed for this transformation. If the attack with this weapon is successful, any successes beyond the first add an unhappy little twist - each success on this rote after the first two negates one of the opponent's successes on a soak roll against this weapon's damage. :Author: Casey Brandon Hammersmith Holdout Weapon (Correspondence●● Matter●●) rote points : This rote allows the mage to acquire a weapon or other item in a time of need. This rote will search within the radius allowed by the number of successes on the casting for an item matching the one she wants, and if no such item is found, will create one on the spot. This rote is very vulgar. : Author: Casey Brandon Hammersmith . Divination Touch of the Norns (Entropy●, Life●) rote points : This rote allows the mage to tell if someone she meets is fated be significant to her in the course of her life. The more successes on the rote, the more information the mage gets. One success will give a yes/no; more will give level of importance (peripheral or transitory, moderate, very important) and any successes past 3 may provide a hint as to how the person is fated to affect the mage. : Author: Beth McCarthy . Healing and Cleansing Spirit Cleansing (Spirit●● and either Life● or Matter●) rote points : Works precisely as the Garou Rite of Cleansing. Every success cleanses one point of taint from a person of object. : Author: Ailey Huxley . Utility Faerie Sight (Mind● Spirit●●) rote points : This rote mimics the effects of Enchantment on the target, including vulnerability to chimerical damage, chimerical sight, and the ability to see Fae miens. With this rote up a mage can use Spirit magic to affect chimera like spirits. (The addition of Mind, to affect objects created by the mind, allows this.) : Author: Ailey Huxley Hidden Agenda (Correspondence●● Matter●) rote points : With this rote, the mage can open up a pocket portal to a set location where small items are stored and draw them forth. If he can reasonably conceal the item on his person, or can draw it from a bag or case that could feasibly hold the item, it is coincidental. This allows him to conceal weapons, in particular, or other small items and 'pick them up' later with the rote. : Author: John Deacon Preston Instant Berlitz (Mind●●) rote points : This rote allows one to instantly pick out of the minds of strangers the proper phrases in other languages for common things: 'Where is the bathroom?' and such. It cannot give anything beyond very basic phrases and concepts, but the mage can use it to get basic information and perform very basic communication. : Author: Ailey Huxley Universal Translator (Mind●●●) rote points : With this rote, a mage can readily understand any language spoken by a target within normal conversational earshot range. When cast as an extended rote, 5 or more successes allows him to reply in the same language with fluent vocabulary and idiom. Duration is one scene, sustained to add a +1 difficulty to all magic rolls while it's up, unless successes are apportioned to maintaining it further. Further successes can be allotted to spread the area of influence further, but each additional language maintained with a single rote is spoken and heard at +1 difficulty. : Author: Ailey Huxley Voices Carry (Forces●●) rote points : This rote acts much like a voice-modulation device. It allows the mage to change the way his voice is heard to others entirely by affecting the sound waves once they are spoken. With this rote active, he can either make his voice different enough to disguise it, or he can, with a proper attached skill roll, take on the voice of another person he has observed. : Author: John Deacon Preston . Warding Perimeter Alarm (Correspondence●● Mind●, add Spirit● or Entropy● to detect spirits/ghosts) rote points : This rote sets a simple alarm ward around an area and lets the mage know if anything with a conscious mind and a physical form enters. With the addition of Spirit and/or Entropy, ghosts and spirits can be added to that ward as well. : Author: Casey Brandon Hammersmith Resonance Sniffer (Correspondence●● Mind● Prime●) rote points : This rote sets a simple ward around an area and lets the mage know if a specific resonance enters that area -- either a mage with that resonance, or an effect or item bearing it, or a stream of quint with it. : Author: Casey Brandon Hammersmith . . : Category:Mage Category:Rotes Category:Rules Category:House Rules